Military intelligence ethicist Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

Military intelligence ethicist - Essay Example The first solution, of taking no action, will leave tribal warfare unchecked and rampant in the area. Without a reason to stop, the warlords will continue raising armies, hording needed supplies, and violating international law. The second solution, of extensive intervention, leaves open the possibility of all-out warring between Americans and Kapawa fighters, with untold devastation on civilian populations. The third solution, a middle ground, will commit a small contingent of American troops to fighting the violence. However, this third option may do nothing more than put American forces in harm’s way for a mission that may end up being too small to be of great effectiveness. From the consequentialist point of view, the third option of engaging in limited strikes is out of the question, insofar as it does not solve the underlying problem of warlords. The problem in the case of Kapawa is institutional, not merely an armed conflict. There are deep political and ethnographic problems in the state, which cannot be resolved by a minimal engagement on the part of American soldiers. Deciding from there, the consequentialist looks at the first option: to take no action. Although this option saves the lives of American soldiers, the loss of Kapawa life and infrastructure may be far too great of a cost. If the commander leaves the Kapawa people to deal with warlords by themselves, people will continue to die from the fighting and the resulting famine. Although help can be delivered from non-governmental entities, the underlying problem remains Logically, the second option, of full-scale intervention, makes the most sense. It eliminates the institutional and political problems affecting the Kapawa people. It gives American the opportunity to establish a stable and functioning government, and settles disputes between the warring tribes. It reestablishes the opportunity for the fair distribution of resources inside the country and

Reflect on If I could be any historical figure within the time period, Research Paper - 1

Reflect on If I could be any historical figure within the time period, who would I be and why - Research Paper Example Whereas many of the founding fathers were ultimately against slavery, there were several that either did not discuss the issue in any level of depth or did not see it as a vital issue to the strength and continued growth/prosperity of the nation. Interestingly, many of the pro-and anti-slavery statements that were made by the founding fathers varied little throughout their lives. What is meant by this is that individuals such as Thomas Jefferson and James Madison retained strong proslavery sentiments and wrote prolifically about the benefits that the institution of slavery had to offer. By the same token, individuals such as James Madison held anti-slavery views throughout his entire life. However, a third group necessarily exists within this seemingly obvious dichotomy. Individuals such as Benjamin Franklin and George Washington initially held proslavery views; however, as they began to integrate with the American experience and formulate a more nuanced and philosophical understandi ng of the concepts of democracy, self determinism, and freedom of choice, their views concerning slavery began to shift. Whereas it is impossible to trace all of the founding fathers that had an epiphany with regards to slavery, this particular analysis will focus upon Benjamin Franklin and the way in which his political leanings began to shift later in his life with regards to the issue of slavery. In seeking to promote such an understanding of realization, the following analysis will focus specifically on primary that Benjamin Franklin was himself responsible for writing. Like many of the founding fathers, Franklin himself owned slaves in the earlier part of his life. However, as a result of his metropolitan nature and incessant travels, not to mention his polymath tendencies towards reading and writing on topics as broad and diverse as economics, philosophy, and ethics, Franklin came to understand that the practice of slavery was in and of itself abhorrent. As such, he soon relea sed the few slaves that he did possess. However, merely releasing the slaves that he was responsible for was not enough for Franklin. Rather, due to the fact that he saw slavery as such a morbid and horrific societal ill, he began to advocate abolition at a time when abolitionists were far from being in the vote. One of the most famous means through which Franklin was able to affect this was by signing and sending a petition to the first Congress in February 1790. Among other things, the petition requested time devoted towards â€Å"devising means removing the inconsistency from the character of the American people and promoting mercy and justice towards this distressed race† (Basker 221). However, before the reader begins to assume that Benjamin Franklin was a champion of human rights throughout his entire life, it must be added that beyond merely owning up to seven slaves in the earlier years, Franklin also worked for the Pennsylvania Gazette and was responsible for the pri nting and publication of information concerning wanted ads for the sale of slaves as well as rewards for the capture and return of runaway slaves (Franklin 7). Obviously, this information in and of itself must have touched upon the conscience of Benjamin Franklin as a means of promoting him towards a level of abolitionism later years. However, the fact remains that Benjamin Franklin can convincingly be labeled as both a tacit advocate of slavery as well as an abolitionist